Archive for February, 2016

I know I said I wasn’t going to do much blogging anymore, but I found another great article I wanted to share. Today as I was doing yoga, I recalled a video of a dog who was copying his person and I thought it would be so much fun if I could teach my dogs to copy me. Pierson is already a great candidate since he is intensely interested in me when I do yoga. But I had no idea how to teach him how to copy me, so I googled it. Here is the article I found – “Training ‘Do-As-I-Do’: Fun and Efficient“. The training tips seem simple enough. I’m pretty sure we can do this, so I’m going to give it a try and let you know how it goes.

I know I haven’t been blogging lately. I’m doing well, as are Maya and Pierson. I’ve just taken a step back for a while to work on other interests. I’m probably not going to get back into blogging, but you will see me once in a while.

I came across this interested article about service animals. I’m all about having a pet to help with stress. But how much stress does one need to experience in order for their animal to be considered a service animal? I think there are legitimate situations, such as those with PTSD. But some people really push the line. So much so, that it makes things difficult for those with legitimate service animals. And so much so that states are beginning to implement laws to make it tougher for pets to be labeled as service animals. This is a good thing for inhibiting all the impostors out there, but it makes things harder for people with legitimate needs. Check out this article for more – Service Animal Impostors Face Crackdown.

To me, it’s just a given that pets help us reduce stress. So even though Maya and Pierson are absolutely great at helping me deal with stress, I would never consider calling them service animals. If I did want to get then labeled as service animals, it would be surprisingly easy. Seriously. Not only are there ways to do it online for a small fee, I bet I could get my doctor to write me a note. If she won’t, I can just get another doctor! Simple.

What do you all think about this issue? Do you think service animals to help with stress should be defined broadly or narrowly? Do you think those who define it too broadly are impostors? Do you think impostors ruin it for everyone?